Jimmy Spencer

RICHMOND — Mark McArdle was fired as competition director for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009, a week after Kasey Kahne won at Atlanta and the very day Kahne qualified the team for the Chase. Regan Smith lost his ride during the downsizing of Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the 2008 season. His pink slip came just weeks after NASCAR nullified his first-place finish at Talladega, ruling that he drove below the yellow line to pass Tony Stewart, who deftly forced Smith below it. Both have landed on their feet with Furniture Row Racing. Smith is the driver and McArdle the competition director for a team whose Denver base makes it the only one in the Sprint Cup Series not located in...